


Sea and Sunshine

by samulett



Category: Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy, Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Genre: Ficlet, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-01
Updated: 2013-12-12
Packaged: 2017-12-10 03:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/781063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samulett/pseuds/samulett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud sees Tidus unlike anyone else does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [acesdesire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/acesdesire/gifts).



> I wrote this for Meg because Clidus is her absolute favorite. You can check out her Clidus fic here! http://archiveofourown.org/works/2553500/chapters/5676830

Cloud sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the moon's light cast on the floor. The blinds clattered quietly from the open window and Tidus snored softly.

Cloud turned his head to look at him. He lay on the mattress, his knee pressed into the small of Cloud's back. The blankets were tangled around him and one of his hands was thrust under the pillow.

To someone else, he would have looked silly; caught up in a dream, limbs sticking out at odd angles. But Cloud couldn't help seeing more whenever he looked at Tidus now. These small, special details that only Cloud could spot.

Like how the color of his hair reminded him of tea roses, the pale yellow ones that his mother loved to hang outside the door of their house, for everyone in Nibelheim to see. Like how his fingers twitched a little while he slept, and Cloud couldn't help but think they were searching for him. Like how his skin, which was dotted here and there with tiny freckles from the sun, smelled faintly of the sea and sunshine. Cloud wouldn't have been surprised if he lay his head against Tidus's chest and heard waves crashing.

Cloud had never had much experience with the seaside, and somehow Tidus had taken its place in Cloud's mind. He was warm and bright and forever constant, only ever pulling slightly away (when Cloud needed it) and then rushing back. He took Cloud's breath away and scorched his insides with a fire that had been missing for years. He wrapped himself around Cloud like liquid and refused to let go.

And in the back of his mind, Cloud wondered if he really deserved it. After everything, was he really allowed to have something this good? Something this important? There was this underlying fear that Cloud was cursed somehow and, eventually, he'd lose Tidus like he'd lost most things.

It was thoughts like those that he expected would make him pull away from Tidus's affection, but they only drove him to hang on tighter. If it was going to end, then why not make it last?

Cloud stood and wound the window closed—what he had planned on doing since he woke unexpectedly—and smiled to himself. He returned to the bed, careful not to wake Tidus as he slipped under the covers. He lifted Tidus's arm and lay it down again across his own waist, curling into the warmth. He tilted his head into the lightest brush of lips he could manage and closed his eyes. He fell asleep shortly after, soaked in sun and lulled by the ocean.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tidus' patience paid off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ended up writing a little continuation, because Meg never gets tired of these two...

Light was shining dimly through the blinds when Tidus awoke. He rubbed lazily at his eyes, stretching his sleep-heavy limbs and stifling a yawn. Once his eyes had adjusted enough to the slowly growing brightness, he set his gaze on Cloud, still asleep beside him.

Cloud looked peaceful, face relaxed as he dreamed. One of his hands was tucked up under his chin, and the other rested on Tidus' waist.

Tidus couldn't help the smile that tugged at his mouth as he moved in closer to Cloud, content to stay there until Cloud woke on his own. Tidus gently put his chin on the top of Cloud's head, wrapping an arm around his back. Cloud made a quiet sound but didn't wake. Tidus wondered what he was dreaming about.

Cloud was the best puzzle Tidus had ever tried to solve. He had to collect all the pieces of Cloud first, and they were strewn about, unorganized and some lost. He had to gather them up slowly, learning more about Cloud as he went, always cautious. Cloud was distant, wary of people asking him about himself, his world, his family and friends. He was much more likely to shrug off a question—no matter how simple it was—than to give a straight answer, and Tidus would be lying if he said it wasn't frustrating sometimes. But somewhere along the way, Cloud started letting things out, subtly but surely, like he was testing to see what Tidus would do with them. Tidus tucked them away in that Cloud-reserved place in his brain and swore to himself that he wouldn't forget them, not even the tiniest detail. So far, he'd done just that.

Then all the pieces had to be arranged, each an integral part of the final product. Cloud had tried to push away some of those parts—Zack, Aerith, his parents, his home, all of which were long gone—but Tidus was persistent, gently encouraging Cloud to help him put the puzzle back together. In the end, there had been some pieces that were lost beyond hope, others that had been broken or bent, but Tidus filled in the empty spaces with big grins and warm skin and a blooming hope for the future.

Cloud had been happy. There was no mistaking the look that slowly spread across Cloud's features the more time he and Tidus spent together. At first, it was only small, just a hint of something in his eyes. His lips would twitch a little, but then he'd duck his head and close his eyes, like he wasn't ready to let his happiness be seen. Then there were smiles—full-blown, actual _smiles_ that punched the air out of Tidus's lungs—and Cloud was content, revelling in the realization that things could be okay when he was with Tidus. 

Tidus couldn't have been more proud or more happy. It had taken time and patience, but in the end they'd taken Cloud's bruised heart and turned it into something better. This new Cloud was Tidus's favorite; the Cloud that liked lying on the beach, cooking from his mother's old recipes, talking—openly and unafraid—about his past, and pressing kisses to Tidus's jaw when they were alone. He was Cloud, just happier, whole.

Tidus rubbed gently at Cloud's back as the sun continued to rise, then pulled back a little, just enough to catch a glimpse of Cloud's sleepy expression. His breathing was slow and steady as he slept and a tiny smile was pulling at his lips. Tidus felt his expression go soft as he looked at Cloud, and hoped— _prayed_ —that he was there in Cloud's dream.


End file.
